My Little Snitch
by Wench of Hogsmead
Summary: Harry finds an orphaned kitten on Privit Drive, and takes her to Hogwarts. HarryLuna
1. Chapter 1

My Little Snitch

On Tuesday morning, Harry decided that he had had quite enough of listening to the Dursley's snide comments and irritating commands. "Dammit boy, get the paper." "Boy, shut that bloody owl up." When had "boy" become his nickname? It's not very creative, but neither is "you", as he was often called. As his life was an unremitting cycle of endless stress, he composed himself and calming left the kitchen, leaving the eggs he had been preparing to burn. He decided that there was no need for this, and he would not spend one more day of his life being controlled by this fat man and his dreadful family. His uncle caught him at the door, quite painfully by the arm.

"Boy, where do you think you're off to?" Harry tugged his arm away.

"Out"

"Where out?"

"Why are you concerned?"

His uncle considered this for a moment, but the look of contemplation on the pudgy face soon turned to one of outrage.

"Concerned? I could care less about what you do, but if one of those freak friends of yours comes around, they'll want to know where you are. And I don't want them thinking I had anything to do with your leaving!"

Harry was aware of this. The Dursley's were very cautious after the order's warning at King's Cross station. Cautious, but none the less ignorant toward him.

"Oh, don't worry about them. They are always watching the house. In fact, I think Tonks is outside now. See that young girl there?" He pointed to a young girl playing hopscotch on the sidewalk across the street.

"Tonks is it? I'm supposed to be afraid of a little kid?"

Vernon gave a hard chuckle.

"Oh, she's not a kid, she's quite an adult. She's a metamorphmagus."

His uncle was obviously enraged by a word he new to be of "their kind."

"A meta-what?"

"Metamorphmagus. It means she can take whatever shape she wants. She can be old, young, in fact, she could be a lamp post, a teacup, a sofa... You could be sitting on her in the kitchen."

Harry did his best not to laugh. The look on his uncle's face was of sheer and utter terror. Harry knew that rubbish wasn't true, but the knowledge that his uncle would be afraid to sit down was priceless.

"Well, I'll best be off... "

Harry looked at the bush to the right of the house.

"Tonks? Hmm, no"

He then stepped over the welcome matt "so as not to step on her"

He caught one last glimpse at his uncle's flabbergasted look before walking down Privit drive to the currently abandoned park.

He sat himself down on the curb, and considered for a moment calling the night buss (despite the fact it was morning). This thought was quickly dismissed as he had left his wand in his bedroom. He berated himself for being so careless, especially when death eaters could attack him at any moment. However, that idea did not seam so horrible. He would probably die eventually, if what the prophecy said was true. He found himself considering the idea, and thought that it may not be so bad, seeing his family, his godfather… he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, trying not to dwell on guilt. He was bombarded every day with cryptic letters from his small group of friends telling him not to blame himself and he'll feel better with time. That is, accept the letters sent by Luna Lovegood, which were oddly enough delivered to him by a duck. Her letters indicated that the duck's name was Pickle-beets, which somehow seemed appropriate for a pet of Luna's. Her letter's effectively made him laugh, which was a difficult task considering his current circumstances. He carries one particular letter with him at all times, incase he should begin loathing himself.

_Greetings Harry Potter, _

_This is Luna Lovegood. I was warned not to write anything revealing incase this letter is intercepted, but I will fix that now. If this is You-Know-Who or a death eater, than please stop reading, this is not your letter. Now, as I was saying, I have wonderful news! Daddy and I have found a Crumple-horned Snorkacks! We took a picture, but snorkacks become invisible when frightened, so you cannot see it in the picture, but we saw it! I sent you a clip of the article; I do hope you enjoy it. I doubt you will have a very happy birthday, but I wish you a pleasant one. I made you a present. It's a bottle cap watch. (I hoped you didn't want a necklace... did you?) It really does tell the time (in china). Mummy had a large collection of them. She made me the necklace I always wear. She started me on my own collection just before the incident. It helps to have a reminder of fond memories; it helps you to keep in mind that they are still with you, always. Don't forget, the supposedly dead are just like snorkacks, you may not be able to see them, but you KNOW they are there. I will see you soon Harry Potter!_

_Your recently acquainted Looney Friend,_

Luna Lovegood 

This was, in Harry's opinion, the nicest letter he had ever received. It was strange that he found the abnormal presence of Luna Lovegood to be, well, normal.

"I suppose it's not so strange, nothing about my life is normal," he mumbled to himself.

"Well it can't very well be normal if you're sitting around talking to yourself, Potter."

"Oh, Duddykins, how wonderful to see you! Have you torn yourself away from your ham sandwich just to see me? I'm so blessed!"

"Oy! I was eating a sausage sandwich, just so you know. Better than that breakfast YOU ruined."

"Oh yes… hmm…. I see the tragedy that could have befallen you. Skipping a meal! Was… was that what you saw when those dementors attacked you? Hmm? You (gulp) skinny!"

Dudley turned red and wide-eyed. He resembled a frightened, plump tomato (should tomatoes ever one day sprout eyes…). As Dudley was already unnerved, the rattling of the nearby garbage cans in the alley frightened him enough to scream loudly and take of running as fast as he could to his mommy.

Harry was on guard. It wasn't the same alley as before, and it seemed less foreboding now that it was daylight. One of the garbage cans suddenly began to tip over, spilling many of its contents onto the pavement. Harry jumped back, ready to run, when a small golden object tentatively crawled out of the garbage can, with what looked like a banana peel draped around it. It scrambled back to the area in-between the garbage cans.

His curiosity had once again gotten the best of him. Once Harry realized that there was no immediate danger, he went to see what the "object" had been.

He crouched down and saw a small lump wiggling underneath an old newspaper. He heard a soft mewing sound, and determined that the object in question was a small kitten. He gently lifted the paper, enough to tent the small creature so as to be viewed, but have the safety of it's little home.

"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you," he said in his gentlest voice.

The kitten poked its head out a little, but remained under the paper.

Harry tried making small noised that he had heard Mrs. Fig use to get her cats to come out of hiding, but that only caused it to retreat further under the paper.

Harry tried a different tactic. He nudged the paper off of its head, little by little so as not to startle it. The kitten merely "meowed" and ran to press it's visibly shaking body up against the cold garbage can.

He could see now that it was horrible malnourished, and unhealthily tiny. It looked like its skin was to tight for it's frame, and small tuffs of its dirty golden fur were missing. It also had a chip in its left ear.

'Must be the runt,' Harry thought to himself.

He tried to hold his hand out to it, but it just sidestepped to the other garbage can to it's right. He tried to hold his other hand out, but it eluded him once again. This went on for a short while, until Harry finally managed to gently scoop the identified "her" into his arms.

"I caught yah," Harry said to the kitten.

She didn't seem very scared. In fact, the shaking subsided a little and she snuggled into the warmth of Harry's arms.

"You're freezing!"

Harry tried his best to scrunch up as much of his oversized shirt as he could to cover the little quivering bundle. He stroked the top of her head as soothingly as possible, and she seemed to respond nicely.

"Come on now, I'll take you home and get you cleaned up… and fed."

Harry thought himself very fortunate that the Dursley's hadn't seen him when he entered the door, or ran up the stairs to his bedroom. Their little TV program engrossed them. Harry entered his bedroom and grabbed the nearest cloth, which happened to be an old Weasley sweater, and wrapped up his new little pet. He set her down on his pillow, and tucked the sweater around her body. She looked quite content, but nonetheless alert to what he was doing.

"Wait here alright? I have to get a washcloth to wipe you clean. I'll be right back."

'Why am I talking to a kitten?'

Harry crept down the hallway and into the bathroom. He wet a washcloth with warm water and wrung it until it was damp.

He returned to his room to find the kitten looking at him curiously. He pulled her up in his arms and cradled her while wiping the dirt off of her soft golden kitten fur.

"I supposed I should name you. All right, your gold, and I caught you. I'll call you snitch."


	2. Chapter 2

My Little Snitch Ch2

Dear Hermione,

I found a stray kitten near the park. I took her home. I don't really know what to feed her or anything… I don't even know how old she is. What do you do for Crookshanks? Do you know anything about kittens? Send me a letter as soon as possible. Any tips would really help. Oh, by the way… her name is Snitch.

Thanks,

Harry

Harry pet Snitch, who was currently sleeping on his lap, and waited for Hedwig to return from her evening hunt.

He knew Hermione would be able to help him somehow. If she didn't know anything about kitten care, she'd probably run to the nearest library to find out. Snitch cuddled her head into his hand, then looked out the window and mewed.

Hedwig returned, and landed on the back of Harry's desk chair. She went to nip at the "intruded," but Harry blocked her.

"Come on Hedwig, be nice. She's going to stay with us."

'Now I'm talking to an owl.'

Hedwig turned her head and flew to her cage. She obviously didn't like this new pet, which to her resembled an overly large, golden snack.

Snitch looked a Hedwig, then up to Harry.

"Don't worry. She'll get used to you."

After coaxing his owl with many, many treats, Harry finally got her to hold still while he tied his letter to Hermione to her leg. She flew off, but not before biting his hand just hard enough to hurt, but not enough to leave a mark.

"Boy! Get down here and eat something!"

"Yes Aunt Petunia."

Harry pondered for a moment what to do with Snitch.

'Oh I'll just bring you to dinner, and maybe I can get you something to eat while we're down there.'

Harry held her to his shoulder and went down to the kitchen.

"What do you think you're doing with that thing? I will not have you smelling up my house with that grubby fleabag!"

Harry tried to think of a way out of this. There was only one thing that could shut-up his uncle, and that was "abnormality."

"Oh, uh, this is a very deadly magical creature. Yeah, if it feels threatened, or I'm in danger, it grows twenty times its size and kills on command. The ORDER gave it to me as a guard, you know, for my protection."

The entire family looked terrified. They all leaned away from their dinner plates to get as far away from the "creature" as possible.

"Tw…Twenty times it's size?" Vernon asked with a shaky, high voice.

"Yep. Or more, depending on how angry she is. She also spits venom and shoots fire from her eyes."

Dudley gave a yelp and went to run out the back door.

"Oh I wouldn't do that Dudley. She'll think you're up to something. She'll hunt you down by the smell of your fear."

Harry was certainly enjoying himself. His family was absolutely terrified of his little defenseless kitten.

"Now, I think she might be hungry. I know I am! Well, what are you waiting for? She's hungry. You wouldn't want her to find something… ELSE to eat on her own… would you?"

Petunia scrabbled out of her chair and pulled a can of tuna from the cabinet. She put some in a small dish, and placed it in front of Snitch with shaking hands.

Snitch poked at it with her nose a little, but wouldn't eat it.

"Come on Snitch, just take a little bite… it's good."

Harry scooped a bit onto his finger and held it up to her mouth. She licked it a little, and eventually began eating it on her own.

"Why does it look like it's about to die?" his uncle asked with a sneer.

"Oh, that's just a part of the camouflage. I mean… would you expect her to be a monster?"

"Well why wouldn't it eat that just now. You said it was hungry."

"Oh, uh, she's used to the taste of human flesh."

Well, that shut them up for good. They didn't say one word for the rest of the dinner.

Harry returned to his room a short time later, and set a now fully fed kitten on to his bed. He changed and climbed in. He made sure to keep the window open for Hedwig incase she should return during the night.

He set Snitch on the pillow next to his head, so he wouldn't roll over and crush her while he slept. She curled herself into his messy hair and bit at a few strands. He put an arm up to pat her head, and she purred in response.

"Goodnight Snitch. I still can't believe I'm talking to a kitten. The scary part is that I think you're listening."

For the first time all summer, Harry slept without dreaming of Voldemort, the prophecy, or Sirius.

Harry awoke to the sound of meowing, just as the sun was beginning to show through the open window. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his glasses. On his desk was one of the funniest sights he had ever seen.

Snitch was on her back, rolling and batting a paw at Hedwig's beak. She in turn was gently nipping at Snitch's belly. It looked to Harry as if she were trying to tickle her, and Snitch was laughing.

Harry didn't want to disturb their little "bonding time," so he settled for reading the letter that Hedwig returned from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

A kitten? I can't really picture you with a fluffy little kitten, but you certainly are the type to bring in a stray! Here are some basics on kitten care that I remember reading. Dry foods are best for kittens, and many of them insist on being hand-fed. Don't overfeed her either, it's not healthy. Never pick her up by the scruff of the neck, and never encourage aggressive behavior like biting or scratching. Brush her every day, though cats usually spend about five hours per day grooming themselves. Kittens can sleep six to eighteen hours per day, and the rest playing or eating. Oh, and make sure she keeps warm. I suppose I'll see you next week on the train. Sorry that Dumbledore made you stay there for the summer, but it is for your own safety. I would suggest you take her to Madam Pomfrey when we get to Hogwarts. How are you going to keep Snitch and Hedwig? You're only allowed one familiar. But don't worry, I'm sure Dumbledore will make an exception for you, he always does. I'll see you soon!

Love,

Hermione

'I can always count on Hermione for information,' Harry thought.

He wasn't worried about that one familiar rule. There is no way that Dumbledore would say no.

'After I spent a whole summer without my friends… I think I deserve two pets at the very least!'

Harry was quickly pulled out of his angry thoughts when he saw Snitch licking Hedwig's cheek. It looked as if Hedwig was trying to groom Snitch's fur, ruffling it like she was searching for ticks.

He felt content now that he knew that that his most loyal friend wascaring forhis newest friend. He felt that his sixth year at Hogwarts might not be as horrible and lonely as he had thought.


	3. Chapter 3

My Little Snitch Ch3

Harry began throwing things into his trunk. Tomorrow he would be going to King's Cross station and boarding the train to Hogwarts. Snitch hopped into his truck just as he tossed an old sock into it, which landed directly on her head. She gave a little snort.

"Oh, come on. It doesn't smell that bad."

She mewed in response. He fished her out of the trunk and placed her on his shoulder. She rubbed her head affectionately on the side of Harry's face.

While she was still rather tiny, she was a great deal bigger than she was last week.

Aunt Petunia stocked up on the most expensive Fancy Feast available so as to please the "monster."

Harry made sure to make room for Snitch's food cans and boxes. He also packed her makeshift toys, with included an empty toilet paper role and a bottle cork attached to a colorful piece of yarn that Luna had sent, which happened to be Snitch's favorite.

The Dursleys seemed especially pleased that Harry and "the beast" were leaving. In fact, the next morning Vernon was knocking on his bedroom door at sunrise asking him as politely as his pride could muster to come down to breakfast.

"I suppose they plan on getting rid of us early."

Harry had decided to give up on trying not to talk to Snitch. He had always talked to Hedwig before, so why not Snitch? Besides, they were hisonly friends present at the moment, and he couldn't very well have spent the whole summer in silence.

He headed down for breakfast with Snitch on his shoulder. She was relaxed for the most part, but lightly clung to his shirt when he accidentally bound down the stairs in his excitement.

"So boy, we'll be leaving in an hour. Be ready."

Harry gawked at him in shock.

"An hour! It's not even seven o'clock! The train leaves at eleven! What am I to do until then?"

"That's no business of mine! Have you're freak friends entertain you!"

His uncle's yelling started Snitch so that she hissed at him and jumped off of Harry's shoulder… then onto the table in front of Vernon. He let out a loud yelp and fell back in his chair, effectively breaking the allegedly durable wood.

Harry grabbed Snitch, as well as some toast, and headed back up the stairs to his room. He didn't want to stick around and hear his Uncle's outrageous complaining about the "freaks and blasted creatures" that he had to put up with.

When they arrived some time later at the train station, the Dursleys drove off as soon as Harry collected his things from the trunk. They had evidently been aware that member's of the Order (or other hired magic folk) had been following them there. There were "muggles" on every street corner, dressed in the most outrageous costumes Harry had ever seen. Men wearing skirts and women wearing lifejackets were the norm that day. Harry entertained himself with the thought of it becoming a fashion statement around London as he pushed the trolley closer to the platform.

Snitch was surprisingly having a rather easy time with all the moving about. Hermione had warned him in a follow-up letter that kittens shouldn't be moved from their home environment until they become adjusted.

Fortunately, it seemed that Snitch thought of the Dursley's place as no more of a home than Harry did. She appeared to have made Harry's shoulder her mobile home, which worked out perfectly for the ever-traveling pair.

Harry reached platform nine and three quarters. He had noticed that people did not look at him nearly as much as they had when he was carting around an owl rather than a kitten. Hedwig had gone off flying after being freed from the Dursley's. Harry let her loose because he knew she hate's car rides. He decided to visit her in the owlery later.

"Don't be afraid," Harry said to reassure Snitch, who had dug her little claws into his shoulder. He tried not to run through the platform as he had in earlier years, for it seemed to startle the kitten on his shoulder.

The Hogwarts Express hadn't even arrived at the station yet, so he sat down on a bench near the platform's opening. The trolley carting his things was placed against the wall to his right.

He set Snitch down on his lap and got the toy that Luna had made her out of his trunk.

She rolled onto her back and batted her paw at the soft cork, while Harry bounced the string up and down to give her a challenge. Their game went on for a few moments until an airy, happyvoice startled him.

"Hello Harry Potter! Greetings Snitch! I'm very pleased that she likes the cork-a-bob I made her."

"Er… cork-a-bob?"

"Why of coarse. It's a cork that bobs on a string silly."

"Oh."

Harry stared at Luna a bit dumbfounded. He really hadn't expected to see her here, especially not this early.

Luna sat down next to him and watched as he… well… bobbed the cork-a-bob.

"Why are you here so early? The train won't come for another two hours."

"I like watching the conductor stop the train. I also like getting my favorite compartment, the fourteenth on the left. It has the best view."

All right, now Harry was really confused. All the compartments on the same side of a train have the same view at one point… didn't they? He decided not to look at her like she was nutters, as was his initial instinct. Instead, he just nodded dumbly and continued playing with Snitch. He decided as an afterthought that Luna Lovegood just sees things differently, and maybe the fourteenth compartment on the left did have a better view than the others

He glanced at her a few times. He couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud a bit. Luna's eyes had been following the path of the bobbing cork just as Snitch's were. Somehow the up and down movement of her protruding blue eyes was far more adorable than Snitch's little gold kitten ones.

Harry glanced at her once again to see that her eyes were no longer following the cork, but were instead directed on him.

Instead of blushing and turning away as he would expect she would, her eyes just widened a bit, and were still focused intently on him.

He willed himself not to blush, but failed. He was used to being gawked at, but Luna's stare seemed to affect him differently. She did have a tendency to see things that others couldn't… and he wondered what she was seeing in him.

They had fallen into a silence that Harry considered awkward, but Luna seemed quite comfortable with. She continued to stare at him, with wide eyes that were neither judging nor accusatory. She seemed fascinated with him, as she was with everything else in the world.

Harry had always known that he was shunned for being abnormal, but Luna Lovegood praised abnormality.

He decided to voice his musings.

"You don't care that I'm "The Boy-Who-Lived" do you?"

If possible, Luna's eyes widened further.

"Oh course I care! I certainly wouldn't want you to have died!"

"No, I mean… you don't care that I'm famous… and different."

"Yes, I surely do."

"I didn't think you would."

"Well, I care about all of you."

Harry felt silly. He had worded his questions wrong, but then again he was never good at speaking with girls. 'Wait… I care about all of you? Oh, why does she have a way of making everyone else but her seem odd?'

Harry smiled at Luna, realizing that it was okay to feel odd around her. She smiled back at him, three times as big.

"Meow"

Harry had totally forgotten about Snitch in his contemplation of oddity. Snitch hopped off of his lap to explore Luna's. Snitch sniffed her shirt, then turned around on her rainbow-patterned skirt and curled up to take a nap.

Luna stroked Snitch's back, and smiled softly as she purred in response.

"She's quite soft, and gold. You named her well."

"Uh, thanks."

"Though Snitch sounds a bit boyish to me. Perhaps… Snitchy, no, Snitchella, no, Snitchina… no I suppose not. All right, Snitch is a fine name."

Harry smiled at her in amusement. She hadn't been talking to him… she was talking to Snitch. 'So maybe I'm not so nutty… or she's just nuttier.'

Just then, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. The whistle startled Snitch so that she jumped onto Harry's shoulder once more and hid her face in his hair. He pet her comfortingly.

A man from off the train took both Harry and Luna's trolleys.

Luna took Harry's hand in hers and pulled him toward the train. She paused for a moment to stare unblinkingly at the train's wheels coming to a halt. She not only tilted her head, but her whole body as well to get a closer took. When the train fully stopped, she straitened up quickly and bolted through the train's open door with Harry in tow.

"Come on, we mustn't get caught in the rush. You'll see, the fourteenth compartment on the left is just right."

'Even Snitch is looking at her oddly, which is exactly how Luna should be looked at,' Harry mused.

They entered the compartment, and Luna stared out the window intently.

Sure enough, a large number of students rushed in through the platform. They made hasty goodbyes to their families then boarded the train in a scurry to get the best compartments.

Snitch once again hopped off of Harry's shoulder and jumped across the compartment to where Luna sat. She curled up on her lap once again.

'Lucky kitten... hold on…where'd that thought come from?'


	4. Chapter 4

My Little Snitch Ch4

The train's whistle signaled their departure from the station. Students could be heard shouting goodbyes to their families out the window of the moving train. In the fourteenth compartment, Harry still sat across from Luna, and Snitch was still nestled in her lap. They were joined later by a first year named Nigel Wisner, who had tried to pet Snitch. She clawed him and jumped back onto Harry's lap. The boy then fled down the corridor clenching his hand (thought it wasn't bleeding).

"Snitch! What did you do that for?"

She just nibbled at his shirt a bit then licked her paw, clearly not interested in being scolded.

"Oh, you shouldn't scold her. She was only being honest. She obviously didn't' like that boy."

"And I suppose if you had claws you would go around scratching anyone you didn't like," Harry asked humorously.

"Of course not. I just tell them I don't like them, or that I wish for them to go away. I told Professor Snape that I didn't much care for him once, but he removed twenty points from Ravenclaw."

Harry had to laugh at that image.

"He removed ten more that week because I told him he had four grey hairs on the back of his head."

Harry laughed so hard that he doubled over breathlessly. 'That is too funny! She should have been in Gryffindor… I wish she were…what?'

"What's all the laughing about?"

"Oh hello Ronald."

"Hi Luna… Harry! How've you been?"

"Fine, you?" Harry was a bit disappointed that Ron had interrupted his conversation with Luna… but he was nonetheless pleased to see him.

"All right… is that Snitch?"

Snitch was still grooming herself, wiping her face clean. It seemed that she wasn't too interested in Ron either.

Ron sat down beside Harry and extended a hand to pat her head. She allowed him, but groomed the place he had touched more feverously.

"She doesn't much like me hu?"

"If she hadn't like you Ronald, she would have scratched you. I believe she's just in a foul mood," said Luna.

"Oh."

Harry gently picked Snitch up and cradled her small back in his hands. She mewed a little and touched her nose with his.

"You just don't like all this moving about, do you?"

She nuzzled her face against his. Harry got the "thanks for understanding" message.

He held her up to his chest and she cuddled into his arm.

Harry noticed that that Ron was giving him a strange smile.

"What?" Harry asked half curious and half annoyed.

"The famous powerful wizard Harry Potter cuddles his ickle kitty cat. That's so cute."

"Sod off!"

Because he had nothing to through at Ron's head at the moment, he settled for trying to kick him.

Ron laughed and dogged his leg. He said something about having to do prefects rounds and bolted from the compartment.

Harry looked at Luna, still smiling from the comical ordeal with Ron, to find that she was staring at the arm that was cradling Snitch (or more specifically, his wrist).

She looked contemplative for a moment, before smiling broadly.

"You're wearing the watch I made you."

Harry looked a bit embarrassed. He had forgotten he was wearing it.

"Er… yeah, thank you… it's nice."

"I'm very pleased that you like it."

Harry wanted to thank her for the letter that she had sent him (which was folded up in his pocket) but he would feel silly for doing so.

… Then again… was anything really silly around Luna?

"Thanks for the letter as well… it… it helped."

Luna looked baffled for a moment before realization dawned on her.

"Oh! You mean the one about the snorkacks? Why yes! Snorkacks are quite helpful, especially to grapefruits."

"Well… I meant the bit about my godfather. I… grapefruit?"

"Yes, of course."

'……..?'

It didn't seem to Harry that Luna was going to explain the connection between snorkacks and grapefruit. Harry wasn't entirely sure he wanted to press the subject.

"Well, you're always welcome… but you should really be thanking the snorkacks."

"Oh yeah. Next time you see one, thank it for me."

"I certainly will. I do hope I see one soon."

Though Luna looked very contemplative, Harry couldn't help but smile at the silliness of the conversation. It seemed that Harry had been smiling a lot lately… mostly around Snitch and Luna. The only difference is that Luna doesn't curl up in his lap…

The duration of the train ride had been uneventful… save for a few visits from Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. They had all reached out to Snitch, who had seemed to be more docile once she had taken a nap.

Harry stepped off of the train with Snitch still resting on his shoulder and Luna standing just behind him. They easily found a coach, though they didn't board it until Luna had had a full one-sided conversation with the threshals pulling it. Ginny and Hermione soon joined them. Hermione happened to be carrying Crookshanks, who had immediately set her eyes on Snitch. Harry noticed that Snitch was yowling and burying her face into his shoulder. She was obviously scarred of the much larger cat.

"Come on… it's okay… Crookshank's won't eat you." Harry said this in the most calming voice he could muster. This earned him an exaggerated "aaaawww" from Ginny.

When he was sure Snitch had calmed down, and Hermione had restrained the overly large monstrosity of a curious feline, he relaxed in the seat and tried to begin a conversation with the three girls.

"Soo... what happened to Ron?"

"Well, Hagrid wasn't there to bring in the first years. Apparently Professor McGonagall asked him to bring them into the castle. She probably didn't want to scare the life out of them by asking filch to do it. I would have gone with him… but Crookshanks hates water. She won't cross the lake, even in a boat."

Harry wasn't sure whether Snitch hated water or not… he had only ever washed her with a damp cloth.

"Well… where's Hagrid then?"

As if to answer his question… a tree "fell" down in the forest.

Harry and Hermione gave each other knowing looks. 'Grawp.'

When they entered Hogwarts, Hermione had gone off to have Crookshanks brought up to the common room. Harry, however, couldn't bring himself to leave Snitch with a bunch of house-elves. Familiars aren't allowed in the great hall during meals (other than owls of course).

In order to solve this, he gave Snitch a little kiss on the nose and put her in a large pocket of his school robe. She didn't protest any… and he silently prayed that she wouldn't make any noise during the feast. He walked as carefully as he could to the Gryffindor table.

"I will see you soon Harry. It has been lovely talking to you… where's Snitch?"

Harry leaned over to Luna, who was still following behind him and whispered, "She's in my pocket. I didn't want to leave her alone."

"Oh, I see. I suppose it's nice and comfortable under your robes. Good evening."

Luna turned around and headed to the Ravenclaw table, away from a blushing Harry.

Harry was so embarrassed, in fact, that he had accidentally sat down... forgetting that Snitch was in his pocket. She screeched loudly… and everyone in the hall had their eyes locked on Harry.


End file.
